• The US JOLTS data will be watched closely by investors ahead of the March jobs report.
• Job openings are forecast to edge lower to 8.79 million on the last business day of February.
• Markets see a strong probability of a 25 bps Fed rate cut in June.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) will be released on Tuesday by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The publication will provide data about the change in the number of job openings in February, alongside the number of layoffs and quits.

JOLTS data is scrutinized by market participants and Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers because it can provide valuable insights regarding the supply-demand dynamics in the labor market, a key factor impacting salaries and inflation. While job openings have been trending down over the last year and a half – a sign of cooling demand for labor – they remain above pre-pandemic levels.